Keep on Rockin' in the Free World

I thought it might be nice to clarify some of my targets in more detail, both for my own personal focus and also as some might seem a bit odd without any explanation. Similarly for the stuff I have done, it'll be nice to recount some of the stories. So here we go:


Things I have done: #13: Played a gig at Thekla

This was a big deal for me, as it was my new band's first ever gig (This is my Normal State in case you were wondering), and also my first time playing in a proper, professional venue, supporting proper, professional bands. The main support, Blue Roses, were a lovely folk act who had just got back from playing Glastonbury. The main event, St Vincent, is currently on a world tour of sorts, and is generally all kinds of amazing. Check her and her band out.

What was so amazing about this gig is how receptive the crowd was. Dragged-along-friends aside, there seemed to be plenty of strangers who really dug our sound, evidenced by the fact that our free CDs disappeared within minutes of our set. Even a guy behind the bar asked for one! And the dragged-along-friends? Well, as one remarked to me: 'to be honest Dave, I really wasn't expecting much from you - but that was actually really good'! I think I'll take that as a compliment... You can also find a proper review of the gig here.

So it was generally an amazing night, far better than I'd hoped for. At one point it was looking pretty grim as people were coming through the doors and we'd only just begun setting up and soundchecking (at practices it usually takes us 30+ mins to set up), but I think this meant that I never got a chance to get nervous. And the set itself didn't go perfectly, but these things rarely do. It went past in a second, which I'm sure is a good sign.

I think one other significant thing for me was the breaking down of the fame barrier. As a result of the crowd reception, and the other bands' reception of us, I realized that it is possible to be a 'proper band' that people can enjoy alongside any perfectly produced, professional band, even if you are a bunch of students. And furthermore, both bands were really friendly to us. I had a conversation with the violinist of Blue Roses, Sadie, about how she was looking forward to hearing us play at the next venue on the tour. And she was surprised when I told her that we were just the local support - we weren't, alas, playing the ICA in London. We blended in - nobody could tell we weren't a touring band, much less a band with (at that time) no gigs at all under our belts, unless we told them.

My conversation with Sadie (and a shorter one with St Vincent's bassist) showed me that these guys who turn up on stage, apparently fearless, in front of hundreds, or thousands of people, are actually normal people themselves. Possibly an obvious thing to say, but perhaps not something that I had actually registered deep down. And I would venture to guess that the 'rockstar' persona is a very rare thing, and not the kind of personality I would particularly aspire to anyway. Anyone who has had talked to me about Oasis knows my opinion of the Gallagher brothers... something I'm not going to repeat here; let's keep this clean...

This leads me to:


On the To Do List: #3: Play at a festival & #19: Play a gig in London

These two targets seem far less daunting after the revelations above. In regards to #3, Blue Roses have, according to Sadie the violinist, been together about a year - and they've played Glastonbury. Glastonbury! If they can do that, then I can at least manage a poor indie festival.

More importantly though, I want to experience the festival spirit from the other side. The kind of thing that makes Damon Albarn of Blur break down on stage. There's something about festivals that are wonderfully uplifting - society coming together for a common interest, and yet also seemingly far from society, like you've entered another world for the weekend.

#19 should also be one that isn't too difficult, but is still very significant for me. Although I might not get to play the ICA, plenty of bands get to play support slots in London many venues, and it caters for pretty much every music genre imaginable, certainly ours. But London is the place where I grew up going to see the bands I admired, who held that otherworldly, not-quite-normal status. There's definitely something compelling about playing the capital, which has seen countless huge bands and so much musical talent come to its venues. I also want to see how it feels - in the same way as the Thekla gig, I'm sure it will be both amazing and humbling at the same time.